Idea Store learning offers more than 900 courses for adults
Hundreds of people have benefited from free numeracy courses offered by the council this year, so they can feel more confident in using numbers and apply for jobs which may have otherwise been out of their reach.
Government statistics suggest that 17 million adults – 49 per cent of the working-age population of England – have the numeracy level that we expect of primary school children (statistics provided by charity National Numeracy).
Data also reveals low numeracy is an issue holding back 3.5 million Londoners from fulfilling their potential.
Over half of Londoners (54 per cent) say they struggle with ‘everyday maths’, and 60 per cent say that having to do maths makes them feel anxious.
Since last September Tower Hamlets Council has worked in partnership with charity National Numeracy to support residents build their number confidence.
National Numeracy worked with the council to understand the needs of residents and then connected with organisations, training providers and charities across the borough who could help.
These include WorkPath who offer services to support residents in overcoming barriers, and Idea Store Learning who provide learning opportunities to progress adult learners and support family learning.
As a result, 60 Numeracy Champions haven been trained, to empower others to have a positive attitude towards maths.
Leanne Chandler, Skills for Life Programme Manager at Tower Hamlets Council, has trained all her staff as Numeracy Champions.
Leanne said:
"We wanted to get all of our team trained as Numeracy Champions because we found that if you’re not enthusiastic about numeracy, it’s difficult to then have a conversation with learners about it.
"Personally, I struggled because I still have a bit of fear when it comes to maths. I didn’t have a great experience at school. But once we got involved with the Numeracy Champion training programme, we all got enthusiastic and engaged and it just blew up from there!”
Idea Store Learning provides more than 900 course for adult learners and free English and Maths courses.
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said:
“A lot of people struggled with maths at school, and as a result they may have developed a phobia of maths.
"But maths is for everyone. You use numbers all the time, even without realising it. Improving your numeracy can have material benefits for your life, whether it is around managing money or applying for a promotion.
“That is why we invest in free adult courses to break down barriers in accessing opportunities for all.”
Cllr Maium Talukdar, Deputy Mayor, and Cabinet Member for Lifelong Learning, added:
“We realise the importance of upskilling our residents and providing them with the essential skills for learning and employment. Through our Idea Stores and libraries, we offer a range of free courses to enable residents to reach their potential.”
“We’ve used National Numeracy activities and resources to support our delivery of maths, financial inclusion and family learning."
To find out more about free numeracy courses visit
www.ideastore.co.uk
Posted on Tuesday 19th December 2023